G. Ascent of the Tree via the “Path of YHVH Elohenu”
)
In ascending the Central Column on the Way
of YHVH Elohenu, the consciousness of the traveler first
moves from the waking state of the Nefesh in Sefirah Kingdom into
the dream state of the Geviyah in Sefirah Foundation/Below. This is done
by passing through the Gate of the Beyt that connects Sefirah Kingdom to
Sefirah Foundation/Below. Most people do this every night and experience
it as an unconscious state of REM sleep. However, if the gate is traversed
while maintaining awarenness, it will be experienced as a conscious dream
state from which one can move further up the Tree. Sefirah Foundation/Below
is the point of departure from which we may either enter the psychic states
by passing through one of the gates into the side columns, or into higher
states of consciousness by moving further up the Central Column.
From Sefirah Foundation/Below, the traveler on the Way of YHVH Elohenu
moves through the Gate of the Gimel into the Ruach HaQodesh (Holy
Spirit qlifah) in Sefirah Beauty/Last. Sefirah Beauty/Last in the
World of B’riyah is experienced every night by almost all humans as
deep sleep. In consciously passing through the Gate of the Gimel, the awakening
of consciousness in the Ruach HaQodesh in the heart Sefirah Beauty/Last
is accompanied by great bliss. The individuated consciousness sustains the
constant and exclusive experience of its Chosen Small Face Ideal. This vision
often filters down through the astral senses of the Geviyah, so that
the Chosen Ideal is seen and heard. Attachment to the bliss experience of
Small Face in the Ruach HaQodesh must be renounced if the aspirant
is to further ascend the Tree. At that point, the experience may deepen
further into the formless World of B’riyah through Sefirah Beauty/Last,
or continue to move up the Central Column of the Tree.
The Gate of the Gimel is a mirror upon which collects the residue of karmic
impressions (San. samskaras) of many lifetimes. Hence, in the beginning
stages, when we move consciously into Sefirah Foundation/Below, we will
often next see the “Watcher on the Threshold” in the mirror of
the Gate of the Gimel. The Watcher is actually the reflection of our own
reincarnating Geviyah. People typically run in fear from their Watcher
when they encounter it in their dream state. But, the Geviyah is
a plastic medium subject to change. Repeating the Name of one’s Chosen
Small Face Ideal (e.g. the Lord YHVH) cleanses the Geviyah of the
seeds of impure desires and spiritual ignorance that have crystallized during
past life activity. With the purification of the Geviyah, the Watcher
is replaced by the reflection of the Form of one’s Chosen Small Face
Ideal, or by a high level gatekeeper, or may even become transparent i.e.
clear. When the reflection in the mirror of the Gimel is transparent i.e.
cleared of reflection, the soul becomes invisible to the gatekeepers in
the side columns of the Tree, and all paths can be traversed without conflict
or obstruction. Such a soul is “Master of the Tree.” A good tip
is: if you awaken in the Geviyah in Yetzirah and become aware of
the Watcher, instead of running from it, ignore any intrepidation you feel
and proceed to go right through it.
Many people get side tracked by attachment to psychic powers that can come
when they awaken in their Geviyah and elect to move from Sefirah
Foundation/Below into either of the side columns. One is well advised to
resist that temptation, and eschew such powers when they arise. They will
generally go away in a few weeks by simply ignoring them. As mentioned previously,
some people develop simultaneous awareness in the waking state and the astral
states. This can be quite disconcerting until one becomes comfortable with
it. One condition that should be looked for is when a person has uncontrollable
“outs” i.e. they have sporadic events in which they shoot out
of their physical body, which thereby goes limp. If this starts to happen,
it is a flag that one should decrease the intensity or take a hiatus from
spiritual practices. This can also happen to women during sexual intercourse
through the hyperstimulation of the nerves at the interior end of the vagina.
Such sexually caused or tantric outs can send the woman into a blissful
state of ananda samadhi. Repeated samadhis of varying duration generated
this way can dangerously strain the nervous system and, despite the lure
of prolonged states of ecstasy, should be approached with caution and temperance.
Other than the Watcher on the Threshold in the Gate of the Gimel, and the
“Shell of Terror” reflected in the Gate of the Alef between Sefiroth
Beauty/Last and Realization/First (described as the experience of “getting
close to the Throne”), the gates of the Central Column are open and
colorless. It does not have gatekeepers who must be satisfied to proceed
further. The usual early response to the experience of the Shell of Terror
is extreme fear due to the ego’s false identification with the mortal
physical shell i.e. “I am going to die, I am going to die.” Regarding
this, Proverbs says: “The fear of (or reverence for) the Lord YHVH
is [at] the beginning of wisdom.” “Beginning” is the Sefirah
Knowledge/First, and “wisdom” is the Sefirah Wisdom/East. When
the ego is dehypnotized, allowing for its proper identification with Small
Face, then fear is replaced by love and the traveler is able to move through
the Shell of Terror without fearing the extinction that is to follow. If
consciousness becomes temporarily distracted into the Right or Left Columns,
it has no recourse on the Tree of YHVH Elohenu but to return to the
Central Column, since there are no gates connecting the Sefiroth vertically
up the Right and Left Columns.
After passing into Sefirah Beauty/Last, the next step in ascending the Central
Column in the Way of YHVH Elohenu is to pass through the Gate of
the Alef. The Gate of the Alef connects Sefirah Beauty/Last with Sefirah
Crown/Above, traveling across the Face of the Abyss of the invisible Sefirah
Realization/First at the throat center. In Qabalah, the Gate of the Alef
is called the “Sword Bridge.” It is called sirata (“straight
path”) in the Fatiha ("The Opening") of the Qur’an,
and chinuvad (“connecting link”) in the Zend Avesta
of the Zoroastrians. The Peshitta describes it as “strait
is the gate and narrow is the way.” By maintaining the balance between
the Sefiroth Mercy/Good and Power/Evil, and then between Wisdom/East and
Understanding/North, the pilgrim may pass through the Shell of Terror, cross
the Abyss, and enter the supernal World of Atziluth in Sefirah Crown/Above.
Balance can be maintained by staying focused on the Name YHVH as the experience
deepens, whereby the letters of the Name will disappear sequentially.
In passing through the Gate of the Alef, the consciousness of the traveler
awakens in the supernal shell of the Neshamah (Divine Soul, equates
to Sanskrit Atman). In the Neshamah, the traveler merges with
the consciousness of Vast Face in the World of Atziluth, and all differentiation
between individual and divine consciousness dissolves. Consciousness in
the Neshamah is experienced as a witness state of pure Self-awareness
that fills the entire Small Face universe. By renouncing attachment to the
experience of this dream universe, consciousness automatically moves into
the Neshamah HaNeshamah (Soul of the Soul, equates to Sanskrit Paratman)
in the negatively existent roots of the Tree.
In the Mystical Qabalah, it is said that “spiritual life begins with
the realization of the Ayn!” When (and if...) a soul reemerges
from complete extinction in the Divine Essence in the roots of the Tree,
it returns to consciousness in Sefirah Crown/Above. The individual is thereby
remanifested in Small Face as a Tree of Perfection, and perceives the entire
Creation as a mind-generated unity dream of Vast Face in the Name YHVH.
Such an awakened soul is no longer subject to the illusion of the Fall into
dualistic consciousness of Sefirah Kingdom.
This ends the section of this site on the Meditation Practices of the Mystical Qabalah. More detailed information regarding these meditation practices, as well as, a number of valuable ancillary practices is given in the book Qabalah: The Mystical Heritage of the Children of Abraham.
